TryFam Spooctacular
by bucktooth22
Summary: Try Guys fan Presents a Halloween inspired tale of family bonding. Zach is an old grandpa werewolf man but is too annoyed to turn because its so much effort. Ned is an over worked mummy and father of two. Eugene is an agender brooding vampire teen who raises bugs in the basement. Keith is a frankenstein boy and child model.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate with the Try Guys

"Grandpa Zaaaaach!" A small boy came barreling into the living room, bouncing off the opposing wall and spinning to a stop at the side of the plush green velvet chair where the crotchety old man was sitting.

"What is it now?" The small old man looked up at the child. "While you're up can you turn up the heat? It's awfully cold in here."

"I drew you a picture!" The boy dropped a piece of paper on the lap of the old man grinning.

"Another drawing of yourself?" Eugene asked walking into the room. Their black skirt fluttered though no wind blew.

"A drawing of the whole family!" Keith said snatching the page from Grandpa Zach's hands and shoving it into Eugene's hands. In the middle of the page was a drawing of a boy with patchwork skin and blond hair. His big grin the most distinctive part of the whole picture. Behind him on the left of the page was an old man with a deep frown and bushy ear and nose hair and hair on the sides of his head but not on the top. Next to him was a figure wearing all black sporting an equally deep frown with a spider on its shoulder. On the other side was a mummy with a smile but dark under his eyes. And next to him was a blue shape in the vague outline of a woman. Eugene looked over the paper at the boy who was bouncing with excitement.

"Who's the one next to dad?" Eugene asked handing the paper back to their little brother.

"Mommy of course!" Keith laughed and ran to pin it up on the fridge. Eugene looked at Zach who was staring out the window.

"Of course." Eugene said softly.


	2. Chapter 2

Ned arrived home well after the bed time of his youngest and oldest, but knew the middle would be up so he ventured to the stairs that led to the basement. His bandaged hand found the smooth bar that was the railing and began the descent, occasionally noting a stair squeak and making a mental map of them to fix later. At the bottom he found the dim setting partially illuminated by heat lamps that had been affixed lovingly to various aquarium like things full of crawling things. One small netted enclosure had flying things. Ned wasn't up to date with the list.

"Heyya kiddo, what'cha up to?" Ned asked.

"Some of the swallowtail butterflies are hatching from their cocoons." Eugene said waving the other over to watch. Ned wasn't big on bugs, but it was something Eugene was interested in so he swallowed his nerves and approached. A creature was clawing its way out of a shell and unfurled its black wings. Another followed suit but the other few shells remained as they were.

"A-are the rest dead?" Ned asked hesitantly.

"No they take ten to twenty days to hatch from the chrysalis so they have time." Eugene smiled at him. Smiled. Like actually smiled. The grumpy brooding teen. Smiled. At their father. Ned was over the moon. He wished their mom was here to see this miracle. The moment passed and Eugene turned away to look at something else.

"Anything else happen today while I was at work?" Ned asked retreating back to his place out of clear line of sight from anything that may crawl.

"Keith drew a picture. It's on the fridge." Eugene shrugged.

"Oh I'll have to check it out!" Ned said in his proud papa voice. "He has a shoot tomorrow, are you free to drive him?"

"I guess." Eugene said with a dramatic sigh that said they were not happy about it but would do it begrudgingly.

"Thank you. I love you." Ned smiled before turning to go back up the stairs.

"The picture-" Eugene turned to look at their father a moment. They paused thinking of the blue crayon outline. And then the smile on their father's face right now.

"I don't have a spider." Eugene said softly. They couldn't say it. They wanted to warn their dad, but they couldn't say the words. They felt like they'd been hit in the stomach, they felt like scum, they should have said it. Mom. Keith drew their mom. Ned's wife, Zach's daughter, Keith and Eugene's mom. Eugene wondered if Ned would know that's what it was. Maybe they could say something clever to convince Ned otherwise if they were quick, but Ned had already said goodnight and left. While Eugene stood there staring at the spot where their dad had been. Ned had learned not to expect 'I love you too's' or 'goodnight's' from Eugene, but said it to the child anyway. He wanted them to know he loved them. They were loved. A smile on his lips he went to the fridge and found the picture. Keith in center, great grin. Zach and Eugene (complete with spider on their shoulder) on the left. Ned smiled at the spider. And then himself, but a shape next to him that he wasn't quite sure about. The look on Eugene's face of wanting to say something before being defeated. Ned knew that process, something they wanted to say but gave up, not putting the emotional effort in to complete it. So it was something Eugene found emotionally taxing. Not many options, they didn't share emotional stuff. Except one...one emotional stuff that they all shared. Ned felt his hands shake. Was he crying? He put the picture on the counter and poured himself a glass of water to steady himself.

"The picture?" Zach shuffled into the room. "The boy. He asks about her."

"What do you tell him?" Ned asked focusing on getting his hands to stop shaking.

"It's not my place to tell a boy about his mother." Zach said licking his chapped lips.

"You were her father." Ned looked the old man in the face. "You have every right to tell them."

"Well maybe I just don't want to." Zach grumbled. "The child hangs on my chair asking me all sorts of questions and spouting nonsense." Ned smiled.

"He loves you."

"Nuisance."

"That's what family is, old man." Ned laughed and pinned the picture back up.


	3. Chapter 3

Ned arrived home at lunch time the next day having forgotten Eugene was taking Keith to his photo shoot until one. He left his things in the kitchen and sat in the parlor with Zach who said it was terribly cold and that his back hurt.

When the children finally arrived home Ned greeted them at the door.

"What are you doing home?" Eugene asked shedding their black hoodie to reveal a black jumpsuit.

"I came home early with presents." Ned said cheerily. "Eugene, yours is in the kitchen, Keith yours is in the parlor."

"Presents!" Keith darted into the parlor and jumped onto Zach's lap. Eugene narrowed their eyes at Ned for a moment before going into the kitchen. Ned followed, wanting to see that opened first. A large box with a blanket over the top was on the kitchen counter. Eugene looked at Ned before slowly lifting the blanket. A large tank with a 'Grammostola pulchra' in it. That's what they told Ned it was called, they gave him a pamphlet.

"You said you didn't have one." Ned said with a smile.

"I don't. It's black." Eugene said not looking up from the tank.

"I asked for a big black spider. They said it was a grandma-stella pole-chacra." He tried. Knowing that wasn't right he pulled out the pamphlet and read it again, but gave up and slid it over next to the tank so it would be in Eugene's line of sight. At last Eugene looked up at Ned with a neutral expression. For a moment Ned was terrified he'd messed up and they would say they hated spiders and bats dad its like you don't even listen to me. But then Eugene smiled. Not the gentle smile of the night before, but an eerie smile.

"I love it." Eugene picked up the tank and carried it downstairs. Ned felt relief wash over him both that Eugene liked it and that the creature was gone. Next he went into the parlor and sat on the opposing chair to Zach. Keith was swinging off the back of it and Zach looked at Ned as if to say why is your child like this?

"Come here, sit down." Ned said in a calm voice. Keith did as he was told without question, plopping to a seat right in front of Ned's chair. Ned pulled out a photo album. He wove the tale of Ariel, wonderful daughter, and delight to all. He showed pictures of her childhood and Zach chimed in with anecdotes of her misadventures. And then the story shifted to a wedding scene and a different photo album appeared. After a lengthy explanation came a third album, this one with pictures of them with a grumpy looking Eugene. Adoption papers in hand, the two grinned and embraced the third. Ned told Keith all about the process of integrating someone into their home. There were some bumps, but they were a happy family. And they loved each other very much. And then an album that began with progression shots. Ariel with a growing belly. And then hospital photos of her cradling a baby boy with blond hair. And that's when the pictures of Ariel stopped. There were more pictures, but for a while it was of the now smaller family. Ned, Keith and Eugene. And then a little later Zach started being featured in them.

"Why did mommy die?" Keith asked.

"There was a complication-" Ned began.

"She loved you and Eugene and your dad so much that her heart burst." Zach cut in. "It wasn't strong enough to love you as much as she did."

"I love her too. And Eugene and Daddy and Grandpa Zach." Keith nodded solemnly. "Will I die too?" He looked up at Zach with wide eyes.

"No, your heart is strong, we gave you an extra strength super hero heart so you can love us all you want." Zach said poking the child in the chest.

"Extra strength super hero heart?" Keith put a hand on his chest. "Wow I'm pretty super!" He raced off.

"Why did you stop me?" Ned asked.

"He wanted to know about his mom. Not about what killed her. You've been so sad you can forget about who she was to focus on how sad you are that she's gone. It's not about you or your sadness. It's about her life having meaning. That boy, those kids, they're her legacy."

"I guess you're right." Ned began putting the photo albums away. "I still miss her though."

"Do you want to know when that will go away?" Zach asked looking at the other with a steady gaze. "When you die."


End file.
